A Return Trip
by Mea Lux - Mea Duces
Summary: After Sam goes to the Grey Havens, Frodo and Sam decide to take a trip back to the Shire. Please R&R, so I can know whether or not to post the next chapter. UPDATE CHAPTER 2 IS UP!
1. Beginning of a Journey

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters that appear in the LotR books or any of the events told to the main character. However, I do own the plot, that is almost completely of my own imagination, not completely because I know I will get some help from my friends. A/N: This story is written from Frodo's point of view. Please excuse any mis-dating of events from LotR, and any spelling or grammatical errors, I get really annoyed with constantly having to check the appendices in LotR and having to use spell check. I'm not sure if people can return to Middle- Earth if they have gone to the Grey Havens, but I am assuming they can. In this story, Frodo is 115 years old, Sam is 103 years old (The Grey Havens lets people live longer). Also, for those of you reading who haven't read any or all of LotR, this happens after Frodo goes to the Grey Havens. This is dedicated to Gina, who I know will hate me for dedicating a LotR based story to her, and to Erica, who's stories on fanfiction.net inspired me to try and write a real story. ~~~~ A Journey:  
The spring of 1483 (Shire time) had just blossomed when Sam and I decided to revisit the Shire. We had not seen the rolling green hills and the cloudless skies for quite some time, nor had we seen our friends back at the Shire for awhile. I sorely missed my cousins Pip and Merry, and both Sam and I wished to see Elanor. I had not seen Sam and Rose's daughter since she was less than a year old, and had never seen any of their other children, of whom Sam said were twelve (would you believe, twelve!).  
As soon as the notion sprung into our heads, we began to prepare for the trip. Quickly, we packed everything we might need: clothes, food, weapons, and ropes, which were Sam's idea. I made sure to tell Gandalf, because I was sure he might have some advice, and of course he did.  
"Frodo, be warned, when you step out of life, life will not stay as you left it. The Shire has changed since last you saw it."  
"Oh Gandalf, of course I know life will not stop for me, but how much can the Shire have changed?" As I talked with Gandalf, Sam was busily finding a boat and mapping our journey back to the Shire.  
Sam found a small well-crafted boat with much ease and, as the journey was a simple sail and walk, we left quickly from the Grey Havens. We set off in mid-March, just as the clutches of winter lost hold on the Earth, and the flowers began to grow.  
We began sailing on a nice day, not a cloud in the sky nor a storm in sight. Being hobbits, Sam and I found our meager boat quite roomy, despite it's small size. However, we didn't have quite enough food to make us completely satisfied, being hobbits with large appetites. Quite soon we reached the harbor, the very one I, Sam, Merry, and Pippin last parted on. We eagerly jumped out of the boat, tied it to the dock, and pulled our packs out.  
"Frodo, we finally reached it, we're back in Middle Earth! Back home, and soon to the Shire," said Sam excitedly.  
"Yes, Sam, soon to the Shire, but I just can't get what Gandalf said out of my head. What if the Shire has become corrupted, what if everything has changed, what if something just awful happened?"  
"If something awful happened, we will be saddened, of course," answered Sam simply. "However, we can't just turn back now. We set out to see the Shire, and I mean to see it!"  
"You're right Sam. We should stop and camp here for tonight, then off to the Shire."  
We found a nice spot, not too far into the woods, to sleep for the night. I went off looking for fire wood and left Sam unpacking food for dinner. As soon as I started the fire, Sam began cooking the potatoes. The dinner wasn't much, but we had to conserve food.  
I finished eating and quickly fell asleep. I seemingly awoke, though in a dream. Fog enclosed the forest, and when it burned off, I saw beautiful bright green hills. The Shire! I thought to myself. However, as I walked across the hills, I saw no farms, no homes, no hobbit lads and lasses playing. Something was wrong, the Shire had changed.  
At about midnight, Sam awoke me to stand guard. I thought about the strange dream till the Sun rose and drove away my thoughts. Sam and I packed our belongings and prepared to head off for the Shire. 


	2. Going Home

Disclaimer: I still don't own any of the characters. I don't own the events mentioned to Frodo and Sam (you'll see what I'm talking about). Everything else belongs to me, including the 1137 page book of the complete volume of LotR in front of me so I can check dates.  
  
A/N: Thank you so much to Arwens-pet-hamster and Kat Baggins-Wood for my first two reviews! YAY! I have REVIEWS! The unthinkable has happened. Arwens-pet-hamster, thanks for being my first reviewer! I won't forget about them leaving. Kat Baggins-Wood, you'll see how that works out if you keep reading, but if you are interested, (I don't know if you have seen it already) Tolkien did write a timeline of what happened after the book ended, it's on some LotR fan sites.  
  
~~~~~~Chapter 2: Going Home  
  
Sam and I journeyed for miles and miles through a seemingly endless wood. I was reminded of the Old Forest, and when we journeyed through it on the way to the Prancing Pony to meet Gandalf. However, those were old memories, and we had to get on with our trip.  
  
"Who will we visit first, Frodo?" Sam asked, interrupting the silence of the forest.  
  
"I should love to visit little Elanor," I replied.  
  
"She isn't little anymore, you know. It's too bad you missed her wedding, it was spectacular; she married Fastred. And now she has a son, Elfstan, he should be about twenty-nine years old by now."  
  
"Almost out of his tweens, is he? I remember my coming of age, remember, it was Bilbo's eleventy-first birthday?"  
  
"How could I forget, Frodo? Remember the fireworks? They were spectacular."  
  
"Of course I remember the fireworks, some of Gandalf's best work was displayed that day." Sam and I kept reminiscing on our old lives in the Shire till the cloak of night swept across the sky. The moon shone bright, the stars wove an exquisite pattern across the sky. We found a clearing to camp in for the night, and immediately set our packs down. I was amazed at how tired a walk through the woods could make an old hobbit like myself. As soon as my head hit the surprisingly soft ground, I fell fast asleep.  
  
I woke early in the morning to the smell of sausages and potatoes. Sam, always thinking of food, had cooked us a good breakfast with one of his trusty frying pans. As we only had a few more miles to travel until we reached our destination, Sam and I ate quickly, eager to reach the Shire. We packed our belongings and set off.  
  
Unlike yesterday, no conversation occurred between Sam and I, both of us were lost in our thoughts. I worried again that the Shire would not be the same as it was when I left. I must have been talking to myself because suddenly Sam's voice rang out through the quiet air. He seemed to reply to exactly what I was thinking.  
  
"Frodo, calm your fears, of course the Shire will not be the same as when you left, but I do not believe something horrible could have happened. Remember, I just left the Shire last Fall, nothing particularly awful could have happened so quickly."  
  
"I know Sam, but I can't help but worry." We continued walking through the forest for the next couple miles, until I caught sight of it. What I saw, I cannot even explain. All I can say is that what I saw before my eyes plucked at my heart in a new way.  
  
~~~~~  
  
A/N: What did Frodo see? Read the next chapter, coming soon! That is, only if you review! I'm sorry this chapter isn't quite as good as the last one, but I had a severe case of writer's block. 


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